Megliola: Red Sox still figuring it out

Wednesday

Apr 23, 2014 at 11:16 PMApr 24, 2014 at 7:23 AM

BOSTON — It was hard to say what kind of stuff Yankees' righthander Michael Pineda had Wednesday night against the Red Sox, because in the second inning some other stuff, of the foreign variety, got him ejected. It was hidden, or so Pineda thought, on the side of his neck.Red Sox manager John Farrell, playing sleuth, thought something was fishy about Pineda and asked home plate ump and crew chief Gerry Davis to take a look. Davis checked Pineda's hand, the ball and, lastly, the right side of his neck where something shiny was found, pine tar, which was not detected in the first inning.Davis sent Pineda to an early shower. The pitcher offered little resistance and just dropped the ball on the grass as he walked off, perhaps contemplating his suspension.The Red Sox had fingered Pineda as a pine tar suspect in their 4-1 loss to the Yankees April 10. "Our awareness was heightened," said Farrell.The pine tar wasn't helping Pineda. The Red Sox had knocked him around for four hits and two runs in the first inning."Looked like there was something on his neck. I could see it from the dugout," said Farrell.The manager preferred discussing his own pitcher. John Lackey was brilliant in the 5-1 win, striking out 11. "He threw a lot of strikes, a lot of quality strikes."Lackey (3-2) was coming off a couple of poor outings. "I wasn't thinking about that. I was just trying to give our bullpen a rest."The win was a relief for the Red Sox. "We need to execute on a high level," said Farrell, who has more on his plate than trying to catch cheatin' pitchers. He's still trying to figure his club out. You know, the team he thought he had, as opposed to the team he's watched earn its place in the AL East cellar.Injured players and underperforming players make for a deadly combination, and the Red Sox have had their share of both. Change was in the air Wednesday. Not that Daniel Nava being shipped out to Pawtucket was a stunning move. It was no secret that the Red Sox were overstocked with outfielders. But none were distinguishing themselves.With Shane Victorino set to rejoin the team, Mike Carp could have been traded or released. Jackie Bradley Jr. could have been the guy going back to Pawtucket.But it was Nava who packed his bags, done in by his .149 average. Not that Carp's .250, no homers 2 RBI line — before the second game of the Yankees series — or Bradley's .228, no homers 8 RBI stats, were numbers to brag on. The Sox are still trying to figure out what they have in Bradley. Or don't have.Grady Sizemore has taken a big dip with the bat after a promising start, but there was always the risk factor in signing him. He could be comeback player of the year, or scrubbed from the Red Sox blueprint by June. That's a wide range.By demoting Nava, and giving Sizemore the leftfield job, for now anyway, it's clear that the Red Sox want Bradley Jr. to get a grip on the centerfield job. A Sizemore, Bradley, Victorino outfield isn't bad. Bradley has the best arm. Imagine, an outfielder who can throw. But outfielders need to hit too. None of Boston's has.There are other issues. The Red Sox have used the revolving door policy at third base, waiting for the return of Will Middlebrooks. He's another young puzzle. The door is open for him to nail the job down. Again.Before the Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Meb Kelfezighi got the night off on a bright note. The 38-year-old Boston Marathon winner tossed the first pitch from the rubber and reached Jonny Gomes at the plate. "I was nervous," Kelfezighi said, although he'd tossed a first pitch before at a Padres' game.He said Monday's race was his "most meaningful victory ever." He didn't have to explain why.Just like his favorite Boston player, David Ortiz, Kelfezighi is recognized all over town now. "Lot of people say ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.'" Words the Red Sox would like to hear a little more.Lenny Megliola can be reached at lennymegs@aol.com.

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